Toyota Hilux GR Sport III vs Ford Ranger Wildtrak X — which wins for the bush?
Running the Land Cruiser 200 for 11 months now, 59926km on the clock including 10 proper off-road trips. Here is my honest take.
The good: torque delivery in low range is exceptional — never felt under-powered on any climb. I have done Sani Pass, Richtersveld and multiple Kruger trips without a single mechanical issue. The 2.8 GD-6 is 9L/100km on tar if you keep it under 120km/h.
The bad: the factory tyres are genuinely terrible, budget R14,000 for a KO2 set immediately. Also the dealer here in Limpopo could learn something about customer service, but that is a SA-wide problem not specific to this brand.
Mods I have done: Rhino 4x4 bar (R10k fitted), Dobinsons shocks (R9k fitted), MaxTrax recovery boards, and a Dometic CFX3 45 fridge. Total spend on mods: around R89k. Worth every cent.
Price paid at my Limpopo dealer was R789,900 — they threw in a full tank and floor mats. Finance rate was 11.5% over 72 months which is the reality of SA interest rates in 2025.
Would buy it again. Happy to go into detail on any specific aspect.
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On the mod budget — R80k sounds like a lot but if you are amortising it over 5 years of serious use, it works out to less than R1,000 per month. And the safety improvement in a real recovery situation is not something you can put a price on.
What suspension are you running now? I have the same setup and am looking at Dobinsons coilovers — around R12k fitted at my local workshop. Keen to know if the ride quality improvement on corrugated gravel roads is as significant as people claim.
What suspension are you running now? I have the same setup and am looking at OME BP51 bypass shocks — around R16k fitted at my local workshop. Keen to know if the ride quality improvement on corrugated gravel roads is as significant as people claim.
Good honest review. My experience with the GR Sport has been similar — the factory setup is better off-road than the road testers give it credit for. The tyres are always the first thing that needs changing regardless of which bakkie you buy.